‘No, leave her a bit longer. The amount of alcohol she’s knocked back today already, she’s probably slept through any alarm. Let’s just enjoy the view.’
Sofia focussed on the cloudless sapphire sky and the dark shapes of islands crouching in the distance, trying to work out which one it was they’d be taking the ferry to next.
Charlotte leaned in closer.
‘Yeah, I was going to mention that to you too.’
‘What, the view?’
Charlotte had her ‘we’ve got to talk about this, and I won’t take no for an answer’ voice on. Sofia knew it was useless to resist, but the few moments of peace had been welcome.
‘No, Maddie’s drinking. She’s hitting the booze pretty hard, isn’t she? Should we be worried?’
Sofia shrugged her shoulders.
‘It’s only the first day, so maybe it’s just the novelty.’
Charlotte frowned at her old friend. Maddie seemed even more unhappy than the last time she’d seen her. She was snappy and ready to take offence at the slightest remark. It was no surprise she was missing Tony like mad, but Charlotte had a gut feeling there was something else going on as well. It was frankly a relief to be worrying about someone else’s problems for a while.
‘Really? You’re not bothered?’
‘Look, I agree we should keep an eye on it. I don’t like to judge, but it does seem a bit over the top.’
Charlotte leaned in so close Sofia could smell her floral perfume.
‘Also, I’m not being a bitch, honestly, and I’m in no position to talk, but don’t you think she’s put on quite a bit of weight since we last saw her? I’m not sure she’s coping that well.’
Sofia pinching her arm put an immediate stop to the conversation.
‘Mads! We’re over here.’
A figure in a white kaftan which almost touched her ankles, complete with a wide brimmed straw hat, made her way towards them.
Sofia threw down the last dregs of her coffee.
‘I don’t think she’s going to offend or inflame any monks in that gear, is she?’
‘Miaow.’
The taxi deposited them at the foot of the cliff, and all three women just stood for a moment, shocked into silence as they caught their first glimpse of the spectacular white monastery clinging for dear life to the sheer grey stone, like a stray chess piece.
Charlotte recovered her voice first.
‘That is truly something, isn’t it? It looks like it’s hanging in the air, suspended above the sea. You know it dates back to the eleventh century?’
Maddie nodded in Charlotte’s direction.
‘She’s off. But on this occasion, I have to agree that it’s bloody spectacular.’
Her gaze went all the way up the steep cliff to the church.
‘How many steps did you say it was?’
Charlotte appeared to mumble an answer.
‘Speak up, Char.’
‘Three hundred.’
